Carnival Miracle Feb 24-March 3 our thoughts, any questions

We live near Tampa, so we were happy to see a new Carnival offering named the Miracle start sailing out of Tampa with 7 day western cruises.

We were on a 7 day western Caribbean cruise, Feb 24- March 3, which went to Grand Cayman, Mohogany Bay, Belize, and Cozumel.

The size of this ship is right between the Conquest Class, and the Fantasy Class, which is easy to walk. You're never too far from the front, or the back of the ship!

We did find ourselves for some reason(not Booze, not senile yet!) turned around/going the wrong way on this class ship more often then on the Conquest/Fantasy/Dream class ships! Always had to look at the ship on the wall coming out of the elevator to make sure which way to go!

The pluses,,,,

The ship inside is beautiful for an older ship, very well maintained in appearance! Art work and wood everywhere!

Food=very good in the buffet, only OK in the MDR! We feel the MDR and the Steak House on the Conquest, and Dream Class are better! MDR food wasn't bad, service was good, but enjoyed the MDR's more on the other ships!

The entertainment=good, we liked the shows, we liked the theater set up, thought the singers did well, and their dancing was really well timed, looked like they spent a lot of time practicing!

We didn't get to the Comedy Club, so can't rate it! We did see the Comedy Club area which they call the Mad Hatter, and gotta say it looks to be a big venue, which should make those who like the comedy shows happy.

The crew=seem very competent, and we never saw any problems with cluttered buffet tables, no trash around the ship. Our room attendant did an excellent job every day, so we have to say the crew was very good to excellent!

The minuses,,,,

As others have mentioned,,,,This ship does have a 'slight vibration' that can be felt all through the ship! More so on the back of the ship, so it figures to be something to do with the propulsion! (?)

We had to delay leaving, cause of a medical emergency, and found the Captain several times during the cruise going abt. 20 knots! Don't think the speed was the reason for the vibration, but the faster we went, the more you felt it! Didn't bother us, mostly we ignored it, but we could see it bothering someone sick, or sensitive!

Surprisingly, this ships passengers were the oldest of any Carnival cruise we've taken! In fact, they were older then any cruise, on any cruise line we've been on! I don't think there were a dozen youngsters on our ship, at least I didn't see them! Not complaining about the age, I'm a 60 something, it was just surprising with all the banging of the doors, which I get into a little later here!

We like 3 of the ports (not a Belize fan), but they were all way too crowded. Way too CROWDED!

Grand Cayman=4 ships in port, very crowded port, took the Carnival ray excursion, great boat ride out to the rays, great crew, water was low tide/slightly below my waist, so we just stood around for awhile, no swimming! Afterwards because of the crowded port area, we headed back right away.

Mahogany Bay=2 ships in port, and by noon, the beach was wall to wall people, both on the sand, and in the water, left early from our front row seat, couldn't take the crowds/kids!

Belize=4 ships anchored/tendering, port was just wall to wall sweaty bodies, had 2 beers

waiting for the water taxi to return, when it did, we left right away!

Cozumel=6 ships in port/very crowded, but luckily we booked the Nachi Cocom all inclusive, they limit entries to about 130 a day, so it never feels crowded! Great time!

The cabin,,,The AC works great, but it is really loud, much more noise then we heard on any other class of ship! Light sleepers might find it difficult! My wife was forced to wear ear plugs to sleep. I actually had trouble hearing the TV without turning up the volume, which I didn't want to do and bother those in cabins near us!

You can't hear your neighbors speaking, but you can hear your neighbors flush their toilets, as I'm sure they heard ours!

Don't know if its a Carnival Ship design problem, or just rude cruisers, but the BANGING of cabin entry, and balcony doors is really difficult to take! Every morning beginning at 6 am, bang, bang, bang, as people woke up to visit their balconies, bang, bang, bang,:mad: and go to breakfast! Same banging at supper time when they left to go to shows/dinner! If you want to sleep late, or take a nap, better bring good ear plugs! Surprising cause it wasn't kids, this was an elderly cruise! (As a matter of fact, I joked with fellow cruisers we took a HAL cruise on a Carnival ship!);p

Gotta say, not just on the Miracle, this banging of doors is one thing we've heard on 'all Carnival Ships', especially in the balcony areas, so is it rudeness:mad:, or a design flaw, don't know!

Our rating of 3 stars, I can't say I'd go on another Miracle cruise!

The ship's beautiful, the crew and entertainment were very good, but it vibrates, its noisy(door banging, and AC), and the ports were all far too crowded!

Maybe if I find a Miracle cruise where there is only 1 ship in Mohogany Bay, 2 ships or less in Grand Cayman, and I buy a good set of ear plugs to ignore the banging of doors and the AC, I'd try it again!

Any questions, I'll try to answer!

Next up 3 weeks in April on the Glory, and 2 weeks on the Vista in May! Happy cruising!

That's a nice review. Thanks for posting.

I am interested in your comment about the age of your fellow passengers. I have never been on a Carnival cruise that wasn't full of young families with children and young adults. Do you suppose it was the time of year, or something about the ship?

Going on Glory end of April hope to see you :)

;p

We were on the Miracle on the February 10th cruise. The cruise director said when the Miracle sailed from CA the median age was 35. The first few cruises from Tampa the median age was 45. Well it was higher on our cruise. There were some younger passengers but they were in their 30s traveling with their kids. The majority of the passengers were older. As a matter of fact in my survey I said that the Miracle needed to adjust the entertainment to the demographics of the passengers.

It has to be younger than the HAL cruise we took last February. The average age of that cruise was in the middle 70’s. The sidewalks rolled up at 9:30. If the average age is 45 when we go on the Miracle in a month that will seem like spring break.

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The median age is different than the average age. The median age is half are older than that number and half were younger. We had a lot of people who were in their sixties and seventies. I think a lot has to with the port of Tampa. There are so many seniors within a few hours drive to Tampa.

That's a nice review. Thanks for posting.

 

I am interested in your comment about the age of your fellow passengers. I have never been on a Carnival cruise that wasn't full of young families with children and young adults. Do you suppose it was the time of year, or something about the ship?

Maybe the time of the year,,,we were on the Conquest for 2 weeks in January, week 1 was elderly, week 2 was much younger!

Going on Glory end of April hope to see you :)

;p

Same to you, looking forward to returning to the Conquest Class! Guys Burgers and BBQ are calling me!;p

Thanks for sharing your review/report.

Keith

The median age is different than the average age. The median age is half are older than that number and half were younger. We had a lot of people who were in their sixties and seventies. I think a lot has to with the port of Tampa. There are so many seniors within a few hours drive to Tampa.

Could be,,,at Mahogany Bay, the Miracle was first to get off the ship, before the Glory, and it was great, but then the Glory with what seemed like a thousand kids joined us at the beach, and it was awful, no room on the beach, no room in the water!

Had a funny conversation with a guy in the water, he was from the Glory, told him, 'these are all your kids', and he said, 'well if they're my kids, we don't speak the same language, cause I don't understand any of them!:D'

Seems the Glory had a very international group of passengers that week!:D

The median age is different than the average age. The median age is half are older than that number and half were younger. We had a lot of people who were in their sixties and seventies. I think a lot has to with the port of Tampa. There are so many seniors within a few hours drive to Tampa.

Agreed

i was on the Glory feb 24th-march 3rd we were port buddies. but i noticed that the people loved to slam the balcony doors on our cruise too. i just tried to ignore it

i was on the Glory feb 24th-march 3rd we were port buddies. but i noticed that the people loved to slam the balcony doors on our cruise too. i just tried to ignore it

Gonna bring some ear plugs on our April Glory cruises!:D

Yep, Mahogany Bay with t Glory and the Miracle,,,the beach looked like 'people soup' it was so crowded!;p

Thanks for the review.

Thanks for the review. We're considering this itinerary for next May and this helps! :)

Door slamming is not a design problem. It is ignorant, inconsiderate passengers.

(Maybe if balcony doors were sliding doors it would eliminate some of the slamming, but I doubt it.) :(:(

Gonna bring some ear plugs on our April Glory cruises!:D

Yep, Mahogany Bay with t Glory and the Miracle,,,the beach looked like 'people soup' it was so crowded!;p

i spent all my time in ports scuba diving, it wasnt very crowded down there :D:D